In Sunday's editions of The Oregonian, I write a short story on the Blazers player whose importance I think gets lost in the shuffle with the All-Star emergence of Brandon Roy, the explosion of Travis Outlaw and the grace of LaMarcus Aldridge.

I'm talking about James Jones.

I'm telling you, the guy is a pro in the truest sense. Such a great presence in the locker room, and such a heady - and extremely talented - player.

However, it's that last fact - his talent - that I think is being overshadowed because of his undeniable effect in the locker room. And I think that's a shame.

Besides leading the NBA in three-point percentage (53.6 percent, 37-of-69), and scoring a career-high 10.3 points, Jones does so many little things on the court that are often overlooked. He has stuck his nose in under-the-basket scrums countless times to tap rebounds to teammates. He has drawn charges. He has issued hard fouls, often times with 'What are you complaining about?' looks. And I can't remember him ever taking an ill-advised shot.

And not only has his sharp-shooting helped spread the defense, Jones is very savvy in realizing how, and why, to create space on the court between himself and his teammates.

"He has changed everything,'' Steve Blake said.

And, remarkably, Jones says he is still playing on "one-leg" because of the bruised left knee that caused him to miss 12 of the season's first 15 games.

It all furthers my opinion that the Blazers' basketball operations department, led by general manager Kevin Pritchard and assistant general manager Tom Penn, is a supreme evaluator of talent.

This summer, in the week leading up to the draft, the Blazers were in negotiations with the New York Knicks about a trade for Zach Randolph. The sides were close to settling midway through the first round when the Blazers became active in discussions with Phoenix for the 24th pick in the first round. The Blazers knew Phoenix was tying to unload salary in an attempt to avoid the luxury tax, sparking an idea by Penn. The new assistant general manager, in his third week on the job, suggested making a deal in which the Blazers added Fred Jones in the New York trade in order to receive a $3 million trade exception. That trade exception, in turn, could be used to relieve Phoenix of James Jones' $3 million salary in addition to acquiring the 24th pick.

So the Blazers turned to New York, with a new offer to include Fred Jones, along with Randolph and Dickau for Steve Francis and Channing Frye. Even by adding Jones' $3 million salary, the combined salaries of the players for each team were within the required 25 percent of each other. The deal was done, and the Blazers had their trade exception.

"In the course of players being moved in and out of the (New York) trade, the light went on with us,'' Penn recalled. "We realized if we did the deal we could get a trade exception for Fred Jones. We did the deal, got the trade exception, which we had a year to use. And it took Kevin 10 minutes to use it.''

Penn said he and Pritchard, and the Blazers scouting staff, were sold on Jones.

"We really valued him,'' Penn said. "And the way we looked at it, from a talent standpoint, we were trading Zach for Channing, James Jones and Rudy Fernandez, plus cap flexibility in two years (Steve Francis buyout).''

I don't know about you, but I would do that trade again right now. In fact, can you name one move that Kevin Pritchard has made that hasn't been good? I mean, really. Think about it.

Even though I said earlier that I feel Jones' locker room presence is getting more hype than his play, that hype is not without merit. He has this aura of coolness, serenity, intelligence and honesty that sets him apart from any athlete I've covered. There just isn't any way you spend time around the guy and not develop a level of respect for him.

And the beauty of it is none of it is for show.

He loves this team, and has said it from the start, and he wants to be a part of its growth. And to maximize his impact, Jones has realized the importance of nurturing and teaching his teammates the same way he was when he broke into the league in Indiana under the wing of Reggie Miller. He also has the perspective of how team basketball should be played, spending the past two years in Phoenix.

The biggest benefactors have been Martell Webster and Travis Outlaw. Several times this season, Travis has told me how Jones has instructed him - sometimes they are technical pointers, sometimes they are ways to condition his mindset. Meanwhile, McMillan has told me that Jones has been a remarkable mentor for Webster.

"James knows that Martell is the future, and he's not trying to take that kid's spot.'' McMillan said, admitting that he thought Jones would be his opening day starting small forward had he not been injured in the preseason. "He's trying to teach Martell how to play that position, and he's constantly talking to him and taken him under his wing.

"And in turn, Martell has been real supportive of James,'' McMillan said. "Martell is not complaining about playing the first and third quarter while James is playing the second and fourth. They both have that respect. And all of that comes from James taking Martell under his wing and trying to teach him.''